Brother MFC 7820N
10/07/2013 by me
Aimed specifically at the small business or workgroups the MFC-7820N has all the features you would expect of an all-in-one device. It’s primary role is a monochrome laser printer that can produce up to 20 pages per minute in up to 1200dpi.
The print quality is everything you would expect from a Brother product. The laser prints are clear and crisp with text and images. Photographs are not, however this is an office machine and isn’t geared towards photo printing.
The fax facility is quick and efficient, being able to transmit up to 500 pages at a time from memory. The built-in modem is quick to dial-up and rarely drops the connection. There is also built-in error checking to compensate for unseen circumstances.
The copier also offers good quality reproduction as a speed of 20 pages per minute at a resolution of up to 600 x 300dpi. The paper feeder is reliable, and doesn’t jam like many of the MFC-7820N’s competitors.
The color scanner can produce decent quality images of up to 600 x 2400dpi. The only downside to it is that you can’t scan over a network. The device has to be connected to a computer via USB in order to use the scanner. While this isn’t a deal breaker, it does mark it down slightly considering it is marketed as a networked device.
The MFC-7820N offers the usual in document resizing, error correction, automatic image balancing and basic functions. It can scan multiple pages and email them either loose, or as a pdf file. Envelopes and non standard print sizes are also catered for, and are easy to produce. It is designed to be used over a network, but as above, at least one computer will need to connect via USB to be able to use the scanner.
Consumables such as ink cartrdges are easily replaced, and are competitively priced. Often the ink drums or cartridges are where many printers fail to be value for money. Often costing many times the price of the printer during heavy use. No such worries with the MFC-7820N as it is efficient with the ink, and replacements aren’t expensive.
Overall, the MFC-7820N is a solid, no fuss multi-function printer, scanner fax and copier. It doesn’t do anything amazingly, but is a solid performer and would work well in any small office environment.